How far we've come

The late evening sun was bright, but thankfully there were a fair bit of clouds to keep from blinding the sensitive eyed man. He had been working all day, as was his way. With most of the structures having been cleared out on this end of the island, he'd taken the day to help with the queen's gardens. There had been issues with Siren's deer and other island wildlife stealing the crops, so Chimera had constructed fencing around the large patches of earth. The island inhabitants could find other things to eat.

Crafting and playing in the dirt was messy work, so the black and white giant had bathed himself in one of the many freshwater streams that crisscrossed through the island. Sparkling, but still damp, Chimera lifted his head in the direction of the call that came for him. Dalila beckoned him to join her and, with his task complete, he had no qualms with doing so. Shaking out his coat one last time, the big brute loped across the island, coming out onto the beach and looking down its length.

Dalila had settled herself upon the large gazebo and Chimera walked slowly down the beach towards it, taking the time to let the sun dry out some of his damp pelt. He would still be a bit moist when he joined her, but oh well. If anything, he could sit on the stoop while they spoke and let the sun dry him further still.

"My Queen," he greeted the woman in a low rumble as he stepped up onto the wide, wooden platform. He'd been informed of the growths on her head, but he hadn't yet seen them. Stepping up towards the mottled woman, Chimera lifted one paw and gently touched one of the crystals to inspect it. His paw then slid down the side of Dalila's face, cupping her cheek for a moment before dropping back to the ground. "I'm glad these weren't something worse," he admitted.

"Chimera Klein"